Giving the Philippines a global voice?

If, like me, you can’t help but keep one eye on what transpires in our Entertainment industry, you couldn’t help but notice the flurry of articles and releases that emanated from the Philippine delegation when they came back from the annual World Championships of Performing Arts, held in Hollywood, Los Angeles, a few months back. And even if you ignored the broadsheets, television would have given you more than an eyeful of this or that performer, gushing about his or her experience and swinging a medal on his or her neck. It seemed like the 2005 victory of Jed Madela at this same competition had blossomed into a mad confusion of progeny and claimants – this year’s version of the California Gold Rush. It looked like each and every performer, uncle, aunt, cousin and distant acquaintance garnered a medal and thus, seemingly diminished the value of what had really transpired. Plus, there was the usual post-event griping and negative belittling, that unfortunately, is so Filipino. Now that the smoke has cleared, let’s look at what was really accomplished, and how it can be harnessed for the industry’s advancement and national pride.

Ida Ramos-Henares, our WCOPA national director, headed the delegation, and as a more organized effort was made this year, we had a myriad of entries in this competition that has been described as ‘the Olympics of Performing Arts.’ The official program had glowing well-wishers that included such luminaries as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard. With over 50 countries competing, there were medals at stake in categories (Industries) of dance, vocal, modeling, acting, instrumentalists and variety arts. And just to show you how stratified the competition is, in vocal alone, there are subcategories (competition events) of gospel, country, pop, rock, contemporary, R&B/jazz, opera, variety, Broadway/musical, original, rap, Latin, World music, and Open. They also put the five to 15 years of age in one grouping, while those who are older compete separately. Like the Olympics, there’s a slew of preliminary stages across all categories, then industries, before you reach the grand champion stage - which is itself still carved up per category.

So what we did accomplish are 36 gold medals, four silvers and six bronzes at the competition events level, we garnered nine industry gold medals, 21 overall champion plaques (Category) and one grand champion trophy. This lone grand champion trophy went to the Cercado Sisters, who competed in the junior vocal group category. That’s no mean feat when you remember that over 50 countries competed. And if you think about it, it’s a great haul of medals when you put it in relief against the contingents of athletes we send by rote to the sports Olympics.

We’ve often fancied ourselves as natural entertainers, the best in Asia, relate how foreign guests marvel at our singing and dancing prowess, how they’ll gush that they’ve never seen such a talented race, or suspect that each and every Filipino must possess the ‘gift of song.’ You travel around the region, and in most hotel lounges or bars, you’ll find a Filipino chanteuse, crooner or band plying their trade - we’re the troubadors of Asia! And yet, since the individual acclaim showered on Lea Salonga, we have not managed to make a sizable enough of a wave in the global entertaining and performing world.

I wonder sometimes if it’s about time the government found ways to support more substantially and consistently efforts of this type – no matter to which music or song festival. They’ve done it in the past in the name of fashion and furniture/handicrafts, but do so in a haphazard manner when it comes to this promising arena of the performing arts. Whether it’s the Department of Tourism, PAGCOR, or the PCSO, I could envision how an agreement of long term and substantial support could be reciprocally advantageous to both parties. For example, if one talent would garner acclaim or recognition, that talent could then be utilized regularly in Tourism roadshows, etc. You see where this could be a fruitful two-way street. And it could go a long way in enhancing the image of Filipinos abroad - there obviously is some truth to our ‘fama’ as talented singers, and if we properly pool this talent, there’s no telling how the growth experience for these artists could mean the world discovering the next Lea Salonga. At this point, we can’t just wait for that next ‘accident,’ recognition of talent has to play the game of marketing and promoting, especially if you want to play for bigger stakes. To deny that would be ‘playing blind.’ A Christian Bautista breaking through in Indonesia took a lot of effort and investment on the part of Warner Music - and requires as much effort to sustain.

I’m certain there are many more eminently qualified to figure out the mechanics of how this sort of government support could be arrived at. And I do recognize that there are inherent problems in the way our local entertainment industry prospers and thrives. For me, I just think that it’s a crying shame that not more can be done for these efforts of ‘spreading the word’ of Philippine talent. Furthermore, I think it’s high time we recognize these ‘victories’ for what they are. They are life-affirming growth experiences for those who do go and participate. While they may do so with the hope that it will be their needed break, time, effort and talent are still needed to eke out any kind of success. For that alone, we should shower them with encouraging and positive acclaim, and not play ‘taking potshots while sitting on the fence of negativism.’